US8334768B2 - Systems and methods for determining a location of a medical device - Google Patents

Abstract

Medical devices to be located on a network include a unique identifier, which may be transmitted to a server over the network. The network may have a plurality of network connection points. The server may include a location subsystem configured to store a location of each of the plurality of network connection points. The server may also include a device tracking subsystem configured to store a last known device location based on the unique device identifier. The last known location of the medical device may be updated when the medical device is connected to the network based on the location of the one of the plurality of network connection points used to transmit the unique device identifier.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for determining a location of a medical device having a unique identifier on a network.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a simplified functional block diagram of one embodiment of a system for determining the location of a medical device.

FIG. 2 illustrates one exemplary data structure for a device tracking module.

FIG. 3 illustrates a flow chart of one embodiment of a method for locating a medical device.

FIG. 4 is a front perspective view of a patient monitor according to one embodiment.

FIG. 5A is a rear perspective view of the patient monitor ofFIG. 4 connected to a docking station, and in which a sensor module is connected to a docking region of the patient monitor in a first orientation.

FIG. 5B is a rear perspective view of the patient monitor ofFIG. 5A in which a sensor module is connected to the patient monitor in a second orientation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A variety of types of equipment may be utilized in hospitals and other medical facilities to acquire, analyze, and display data from sensors attached to a patient. The data may include, for example, pulse, temperature, respiration, blood pressure, blood oxygen, electrocardiogram, and other patient parameters. It is often desirable to continuously monitor patient parameters when transporting patients. When a patient is moved (e.g., the patient is transferred from one hospital ward to another), patient monitoring equipment may also be transported.

Tracking of patient monitoring equipment and other types of medical equipment within a medical facility can pose difficulties. As mobility of patient monitoring systems and other devices is enhanced, and as greater functionality is included within devices, this problem is compounded. For example, an electrocardiogram (ECG) sensor may be attached to a patient who enters a hospital at an emergency room. The ECG sensor may be attached to a module that is configured to receive measured information from the sensor and translate the information into an electronic representation. The module may in turn be connected to a patient monitor, which may display the information collected by the sensor. As a patient moves throughout a hospital, the patient monitor and related equipment may travel with the patient. For example, the patient may travel to a radiology ward and a cardiology ward before being discharged. If the patient is discharged from the cardiology ward, the patient monitor and related equipment, which may have initially been located in the emergency room, may now be located in the cardiology ward. The foregoing example illustrates only one of many possible scenarios in which equipment is moved from one location to another in a hospital. Further, the task of locating a particular piece of equipment (e.g., to perform required maintenance or calibration), even if the general location of the equipment is known (e.g., the equipment remains in a particular ward in a hospital), may be time consuming.

For these and other reasons, it may be desirable to track the location of a variety of types of equipment. A tracking system may help to ensure that equipment is properly accounted for (e.g., to ensure that equipment does not go missing), is properly configured, and is properly utilized. The practice of manually tracking the movement of equipment and implementing processes to ensure that equipment is returned to a particular ward in a hospital or other medical facility may be inefficient and cumbersome. The systems and methods disclosed herein may be employed to track the location of equipment that is connectable to a network, to identify equipment that requires calibration, to identify equipment that is expired, and/or to identify equipment that is malfunctioning.

In one embodiment, the systems and methods disclosed herein may be employed in connection with a wide variety of medical devices that are connectable to an electronic network. For example, in a hospital, a variety of patient monitors, modules, cables, and sensors may be connected in various ways to an electronic network. Each device to be tracked may include a unique device identifier, which may be transmitted to a server via a device identification subsystem when the device is connected to the network. Using the unique device identifier and a system for determining the location of each of a plurality of network connection points, the location of each device may be tracked as the medical device interacts with the network. In alternative embodiments, such systems may also include other functionality configured to ensure that the medical device has not expired, to determine when a medical device requires calibration, or when a medical device should be returned to some other location.

The embodiments of the disclosure will be best understood by reference to the drawings, wherein like elements are designated by like numerals throughout. In the following description, numerous specific details are provided for a thorough understanding of the embodiments described herein. However, those of skill in the art will recognize that one or more of the specific details may be omitted, or other methods, components, or materials may be used. In some cases, operations are not shown or described in detail.

Furthermore, the described features, operations, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. It will also be readily understood that the order of the steps or actions of the methods described in connection with the embodiments disclosed may be changed as would be apparent to those skilled in the art. Thus, any order in the drawings or detailed description is for illustrative purposes only and is not meant to imply a required order, unless specified to require an order.

Embodiments may include various steps, which may be embodied in machine-executable instructions to be executed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer (or other electronic device). Alternatively, the steps may be performed by hardware components that include specific logic for performing the steps or by a combination of hardware, software, and/or firmware.

Embodiments may also be provided as a computer program product including a machine-readable medium having stored thereon instructions that may be used to program a computer (or other electronic device) to perform the processes described herein. The machine-readable medium may include, but is not limited to, hard drives, floppy diskettes, optical disks, CD-ROMs, DVD-ROMs, ROMs, RAMs, EPROMs, EEPROMs, magnetic or optical cards, solid-state memory devices, or other types of computer-readable media suitable for storing electronic instructions.

FIG. 1 illustrates a simplified functional block diagram of one embodiment of asystem100 for determining the location of a medical device in a hospital or other medical facility. In the illustrated embodiment,system100 may be configured for trackingdocking stations132,137,patient monitors140,172,sensor modules160,167, andsensor165. In other embodiments, the locations of other types of devices, or a plurality of types of devices, may also be tracked. For example, cables for patient monitoring, as described in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/432,558, which is incorporated herein by reference, could be tracked. Each piece of equipment to be tracked is associated with aunique identifier136,151,161,166, that identifies each piece of equipment withinsystem100.

System100 includes a plurality ofnetwork connections190,191,192,193. In the exemplary embodiment shown inFIG. 1,network connections190,191,192,193 may each be associated with a particular location (e.g., a particular room in a hospital, a particular area, such as a supply closet, etc.).System100 includes a plurality ofdocking stations132,137 connected torespective network connections190,192. The location ofdocking stations132,137 may be determined based on the location associated with the network connection to which each docking station is connected. For example, the locations ofdocking stations132,137 may correspond to a particular room or department within a hospital.

Patient monitors140,172 may be mobile, and may allow patients to be continuously monitored in transit without requiring that a patient be disconnected from arespective patient monitor140,172. Accordingly, in certain embodiments, the patient monitors140,172 may each be configured to selectively couple with and selectively decouple from any of a plurality of docking stations (e.g.,132,137).

In the illustrated embodiment,patient monitor140 is shown as being coupled todocking station132.Docking station132 providespatient monitor140 with power and/or a connection to anetwork130, such as a hospital's local area network (LAN) and/or the Internet.Docking station132 is illustrated as including apower interface134 and anetwork interface135.Power interface134 may be configured to convert an alternating current (AC) power signal to a direct current (DC) power signal and/or provide power signal conditioning forpatient monitor140.Network interface135 may include, for example, an Ethernet communication controller to allow the coupledpatient monitor140 to communicate throughnetwork130 throughdocking station132.Network interface134 may be associated with a media access control (MAC) address. In certain embodiments, the MAC address ofnetwork interface135 may be the same asunique identifier136. It is contemplated that other types of identifiers may be utilized, including but not limited to serial numbers or arbitrarily assigned identifiers.

In certain embodiments,docking station132 may also include amemory device133. Thememory device133 may include non-volatile random access memory (RAM) that provides addressable storage and may be used in certain embodiments to store configuration settings and/or other types of data. In addition, or in other embodiments,memory device133 stores aunique identifier136 associated withdocking station132.

The patient monitor140, according to the exemplary embodiment illustrated inFIG. 1, includes aprocessor141, adisplay device142, amemory143, a radio frequency identifier (RFID)tag144, auser interface147, asensor module interface148, aparameter module149, acommunication device150, aunique identifier151, and adiagnostic unit145. Among other tasks,processor141 is configured to process patient data signals received throughsensor module interface148 and to display the patient data signals (e.g., as waveforms and/or numerical readouts) on thedisplay device142.Sensor module interface148 may be connected to asensor module160, which may in turn be connected to asensor165.Sensor module interface148 may be configured to process the acquired patient data signals in cooperation with theprocessor141.

Patient monitor140 may store the patient data signals inmemory143 along with other data. For example,patient monitor140 may store a default set of configuration settings inmemory143. In various embodiments, configuration settings may be adjusted based on a location ofpatient monitor140. In one example, the configuration settings required for apatient monitor140 in an emergency room may differ from the settings required for apatient monitor140 in an operating room. The default set of configuration settings may be selected based on the location ofpatient monitor140.

Thecommunication device150 may be configured to communicate withnetwork130 through thenetwork interface135 of thedocking station132.Communication device150 may be embodied using a wide variety of wired and wireless communication technologies, such as Ethernet, 802.11x, Ultra-wide band, Bluetooth, Zigbee, and the like.

In certain embodiments, patient monitor140 includes anRFID tag144, which may be interrogated byRFID transceiver199.RFID transceiver199 may be connected to network130 by way of anetwork connection193.RFID tag144 may contain an integrated circuit known as an RFID transponder, which is connected to a small coupling coil.RFID transceiver199 contains a coupling coil, connected to suitable electronics. In operation, the coil ofRFID tag144 is brought near the coil ofRFID transceiver199. The coil ofRFID transceiver199 excites the coil withinRFID tag144. In response to this excitement byRFID transceiver199,RFID tag144 may emit a radio frequency signal, which may correspond to a digital data stream. The digital data stream may correspond tounique identifier151. The emitted radio frequency signal may be received byRFID transceiver199, andunique identifier151 may be passed vianetwork130 toserver110. Various manufactures produce commercially available RFID devices that may embodyRFID tag144 andRFID transceiver199.

In certain embodiments, an RFID tag may also be placed on sensor modules, sensors, and/or other types of equipment, to help locate equipment that may not be currently in use. For example, as illustrated inFIG. 1,sensor module167 is not connected to network130. If a user desired to locatesensor module167, the user may employRFID transceiver199 to queryRFID tag164 ofsensor module167. In this way, the location ofsensor module167 may be determined. Through the use ofRFID transceiver199,RFID tag164 may be selectively activated and wirelessly connected to network130 even thoughsensor module167 may not be in use.

In certain embodiments, patient monitor140 may comprise adiagnostic unit145.Diagnostic unit145 may be configured to perform a self-diagnostic test onpatient monitor140,sensor module160, and/orsensor165.Diagnostic unit145 may be configured, for example, to read various voltages within patient monitor140 or to determine other conditions. The results of a self-diagnostic test may be evaluated bydiagnostic unit145, or the results of the self-diagnostic test may be forwarded toserver110 vianetwork130 for evaluation.

Sensor module160 may be configured to selectively couple with and decouple from thepatient monitor140. The coupling betweensensor module160 and patient monitor140 can be mechanical, electrical, optical, and/or of any other suitable variety. For example, the coupling can be for physical union, communication, and/or power transfer.Sensor module160 may be configured to interface a particular type of sensor (e.g., a CO₂sensor, an ECG sensor) withpatient monitor140.Sensor module160 may include electronic components that translate the input of a particular type of sensor into a more generic electronic format that can be utilized bypatient monitor140. In this way patient monitor140 may interface with a wide variety of sensors.Sensor module160 may include aprocessor162 and amemory163.Processor162 andmemory163 may allowsensor module160 to process information received fromsensor165 and prepare the information for use bypatient monitor140. In certain embodiments, a patient monitor may not require a sensor module in order to connect to a sensor. As illustrated inFIG. 1, for example, patient monitor172 is connected directly withsensor174.

Sensor165 may be configured to sense a variety of types of data, including a patient's pulse, temperature, respiration, blood pressure, blood oxygen, electrocardiogram, and other patient parameters.Sensor165 may be selectively coupled withsensor module160. In certain embodiments, thesensor165 may include an RFID tag for remote identification and/or data communication.

When a medical device, such as patient monitor140, is connected to network130 viadocking station132,patient monitor140 may transmitunique identifier151 toserver110. The transmission ofunique identifier151 and subsequent identification of patient monitor140 may be accomplished by a device identification subsystem. The device identification subsystem may comprise a network operable to transmitunique identifier151 together with the necessary components in server110 (e.g., aprocessor111 and appropriate data structure stored in a memory113) to associateunique identifier151 withpatient monitor140.

Server110 may be connected to network130 via anetwork interface112.Server110 comprisesprocessor111 andmemory113. Adata bus123 may provide a communication link betweenprocessor111 andmemory113.Processor111 may operate using any number of processing rates, architectures, and may be implemented using a general purpose or application specific processor.Processor111 may be configured to perform various algorithms and calculations described herein.Processor111 may be embodied as a general purpose integrated circuit, an application specific integrated circuit, a field-programmable gate array, and other programmable logic devices. The illustrated modules (reference nos.114,115,116,118,119,120, and122) are executable by the processor.

Memory113 may be implemented using a variety of computer-readable storage media, including hard drives, RAM, solid-state memory devices, and other storage media suitable for storing electronic instructions and other data. Certain embodiments may be provided as a computer program product including a computer-readable storage medium having stored instructions thereon that may be used to program a computer (or other electronic device) to perform processes described herein.

Although the embodiment illustrated inFIG. 1 illustrates various software modules located inmemory113, it is contemplated that in other embodiments, the functions associated with the various software modules may be performed in other ways. For example, various subsystems may be employed that utilize application specific integrated circuits or other hardware implementations to perform the described functions. Embodiments employing a combination of both hardware and software configured to perform the functionality of the various modules are also contemplated. Further, the functions of various modules illustrated inFIG. 1 may be distributed throughoutsystem100. Alternate embodiments may also include additional servers, which may operate as a distributed architecture.

Alocation subsystem114 may be configured to associate the location of a plurality of network connections (e.g., network connects190,191,192,193) within a facility. In an embodiment having a wired network connection,location subsystem114 may be programmed with the location of each wired connection. For example, each room in a hospital may be wired with a network interface. The location of each network interface may be recorded, and when a medical device is connected, the location of the medical device may be determined based on the location of the network connection to which it is connected. A similar approach may be taken with regard to wireless technologies, such as IEEE 802.11, Bluetooth, Zigbee, and RFID. When a medical device connects to a wireless transceiver (e.g.,docking station137 connecting to network130 viawireless connection192, or patient monitor172 connecting to network130 via wireless connection191), the location of the medical device may be approximated using the location of the wireless transceiver. Refinements to the approximation are also contemplated, including but not limited to triangulation using multiple wireless transceivers, determination of signal strength, and other techniques in order to more accurately determine a location of a medical device connected wirelessly to a network. In various embodiments, the function of storing a location of each of the plurality of network connection points may be performed by a location subsystem.

Amapping subsystem115 may be configured to display a location of a particular device within a facility.Mapping subsystem115 may store a representation of the facility in whichsystem100 is employed. The representation of the facility, together with the information contained inlocation subsystem114 may be utilized to generate a graphical representation of a location of a medical device on a map. Displaying the location graphically on a map, may assist users in locating a desired device. In embodiments utilizing wireless networks,mapping subsystem115 may be configured to display an estimate of the area in which a desired device is located.

Anotification subsystem116 may be configured to provide notification upon the occurrence of a specified condition. A variety of conditions may prompt a notification. In certain embodiments, the conditions that prompt a notification may be user-customizable. For example,notification subsystem116 may provide notification when a particular piece of equipment assigned to a first area in a hospital is removed from the first are or used for a specified amount of time in a second area of the hospital. In this way users of the equipment may be made aware of the fact that the piece of equipment should be returned to the first area.Notification subsystem116 may also provide notification based on other criteria, including a notification that a particular device requires calibration, or that a particular device has expired (exceeded its useful life).Notification subsystem116 may provide notification in a variety of ways, including, but not limited to, displaying a message ondisplay142, playing an audible message, placing a telephone call with a pre-recorded message, and/or sending an email, SMS, instant message, page, or other electronic message to a specified recipient. In alternate embodiments, the function of generating a notification when a specified condition is satisfied may be performed by a notification subsystem.

Web interface subsystem119 may be configured to allow access to information stored inmemory113 via a web interface. The web interface may allow for access to information stored inmemory113 via an internal network, or intranet, or may allow for access from a wide-area network, such as the Internet.

Diagnostic subsystem120 may be configured to interact with devices insystem100 to ensure that the medical devices are operating according to specified conditions. For example,diagnostic unit145 in patient monitor140 may be able to perform self-diagnostic tests, or may perform diagnostic tests onsensor module160 and/orsensor165. The results of these diagnostic tests may be transmitted vianetwork130 to sever110, where the results may be evaluated bydiagnostic subsystem120. In certain embodiments, such as the embodiment illustrated inFIG. 2, certain diagnostic criteria may be stored indevice tracking subsystem118. The results of the diagnostic tests may be compared against the values stored indevice tracking subsystem118.Diagnostic subsystem120 may be configured to prompt a user to take action when conditions of a medical device fall outside of specified parameters. For example, a nurse may be prompted to checksensor165 and/orsensor module160 when voltage readings from the sensor are outside of a certain range.Diagnostic subsystem120 may also be configured to track instances of malfunction in order to identify equipment that may perform unreliably.

Calibration subsystem122 may be configured to interact with devices insystem100 to ensure that the medical devices are calibrated on an appropriate schedule. For example,sensor module160 may require calibration after some amount of cumulative use (e.g., 100 hours).System100 may be configured to track the time thatsensor module160 is in use, and provide a notification whensensor module160 is due for calibration. In some embodiments,device tracking subsystem118 may be configured to track the cumulative time a particular sensor module is used. In other embodiments,sensor module160 may comprise aprocessor162 and amemory163.Processor162 andmemory163 may be configured to determine an amount of time thatsensor module160 is in use and the requirements for calibration. When calibration is required,sensor module160 may notify a user of the need for configuration. Alternatively,sensor module160 may communicate the need for configuration toserver110, andnotification subsystem116 may alert a specified user of the need for calibration. In various embodiments, the function of associating a medical device with calibration information and evaluating when the medical device requires calibration based on the calibration information may be performed by a calibration subsystem.

Query subsystem117 may be configured to allow a user to query devices attached to network130 and identify devices that satisfy a specified criteria. For example, a user may enter a query to locate a CO₂module. In response to the query,system100 may transmit the query to devices connected to network130 and display a result indicating the location of each CO₂module and the status of each module (e.g. whether the module is in use or not in use). In other embodiments,query subsystem117 may be configured to interact withdevice tracking subsystem118, which may be configured to maintain the location and status of various devices.Query subsystem117 may also be configured to identify devices that are not connected to network130 at the time of the query and to display the last known location of such devices that satisfy the specified criteria. The function of querying devices connected to network130 to determine which devices satisfy a specified criteria may be performed by a device querying subsystem.

Device tracking subsystem118 may be a repository for a variety of information regarding various devices to be tracked bysystem100.Device tracking subsystem118 may be configured to track a variety of types of equipment and a variety of types of information about each piece of equipment.Device tracking subsystem118 may be queried by other modules or components insystem100. In various embodiments, the function of storing a variety of information regarding various devices to be tracked may be performed by a device tracking subsystem.

FIG. 2 illustrates one exemplary data structure fordevice tracking subsystem118. As illustrated inFIG. 2, table200 includes an ID orMAC address column201 to associate each piece of equipment with a MAC address or other device specific identifier. Other types of data tracked bydevice tracking subsystem118 may includedevice type202, acalibration date203,owner information204,expiration information205,diagnostic information206, a last knownlocation207, and a date last used208. Each type of data may be collected and utilized to add features to system100 (FIG. 1). For example, thecalibration date203 may be utilized to determine when a particular device requires calibration. When calibration is required, a user may receive a notification and may then perform the required calibration. Similarly,expiration information205 may also be tracked, and may permit the identification of expired equipment.Owner information204 may also be tracked. Tracking such information may be desirable when a particular piece of equipment may be transported to other areas in a facility. In certain embodiments, a notification may be issued when a piece of equipment is utilized outside of a designated area.Expiration information205 may be tracked to indicate when a particular piece of equipment will expire.Diagnostic information206 may include information regarding certain criteria that can be measured in order to ensure that a particular device is operating within a prescribed range. A last knownlocation207 may be useful in locating devices that are not currently in use. For example, if a user desires to locate a particular item, a search for that item may be expedited by initiating the search in the location where the item was last used. The last used208 information may also be utilized to help locate items by indicating which items are currently in use, and how long it has been since an item has been used.

FIG. 3 illustrates a flow chart of one embodiment of amethod300 for locating a medical device. The medical device transmits310 a unique identifier of the medical device to a server. Upon receipt of the unique identifier, the server may query330 a device tracking subsystem for information using the unique identifier. The server may also determine340 a location of the network connection associated with the medical device. Themethod300 may then update350 the location and other device specific information. In certain embodiments, the device specific information may include calibration information, expiration information, diagnostic information, the date the medical device was last used, and the like. If appropriate, any notifications associated with the medical device may be displayed360.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a patient monitor according to one embodiment. The embodiment shown inFIG. 4 is provided by way of example, and an artisan will understand from the disclosure herein that any portable patient monitoring system or other types of medical equipment may be used with the embodiments disclosed herein.System400 includes apatient monitor140, asensor module160, and adocking station132.Patient monitor140 can be configured to selectively couple with and decouple fromdocking station132, andsensor module160 can be configured to selectively couple with and decouple frompatient monitor140.Patient monitor140 may include one or moregripping regions410,412 that are configured to aid in coupling and decoupling patient monitor140 fromdocking station132. For example, amedical practitioner414 can firmly grasp with his or herhands416,418 grippingregions410,412 during removal of patient monitor140 fromdocking station132.

InFIG. 4, patient monitor140 is illustrated as having been removed fromdocking station132. A front surface of patient monitor140 can include adisplay142 that is configured to display information in a visually perceivable format.Screen142 may be of any suitable variety, including those presently known and those yet to be devised. For example,screen142 may include a liquid crystal display (LCD) panel. In some embodiments,screen142 may be configured to receive information or otherwise interact with a medical practitioner. For example,screen142 may include a touch screen.

Patient monitor140 may include one or more ports for receiving or delivering information, which can include one or more serial ports, USB ports, Ethernet ports, DVI ports, or any other suitable variety of ports, interfaces, or connectors. In addition patient monitor140 may include wireless connections (not illustrated), such as 802.11, UWB, Zigbee, Bluetooth, and the like. In some embodiments, information received via one or more of the ports can be displayed on thescreen142.

At least a portion of the information displayed bypatient monitor140 may represent information received from a patient or that otherwise relates to a patient. For example, in some embodiments, one or more sensors (not shown) are connected to the patient to sense a particular parameter, and information obtained via the one or more sensors is delivered to thesensor module160. The sensors may deliver information tosensor module160 via one or more cables (not shown) connected to one or more ports.

Sensor module160 may be configured to process the information it receives from a sensor and deliver it to patient monitor140, which can display the processed information. In some embodiments, patient monitor140 may further process the information prior to displaying it.Patient monitor140 may also display information that is independent of the patient, such as, for example, a notification regarding the configuration ofpatient monitor140, or the need to calibratesensor module160.

Docking station132 may be mounted in a substantially fixed position. For example,docking station132 may be fixedly mounted to a wall within a hospital room in a single position by one or more plates, brackets, screws, bolts, or other mounting hardware and attachment devices. As another example,docking station132 may be configured to transition among multiple fixed positions. For example, in the illustrated embodiment,docking station132 is coupled to a mountingstrip422, which is in turn mounted to a wall (not shown) of a hospital room.Docking station132 is capable of being adjusted upwardly or downwardly along a path constrained by one or more channels defined by mountingstrip422 so as to transition among a variety of positions. In each such position,docking station132 can be fixed relative to mountingstrip422. In some embodiments,docking station132 is coupled with mountingstrip422 via a mounting plate or a mounting bracket (not shown), the position of which can be adjusted upwardly or downwardly within the channels in any suitable manner.

FIG. 5A illustrates an embodiment of apatient monitor140 connected to adocking station132, and in which asensor module160 is connected to adocking region520 of thepatient monitor140.Sensor module160 includes a plurality of connectors orports522a,522b,522c,522d,522e,522f, which can be configured to couple with one or more wires or cables (not shown). The cables can extend between ports522 and one or more sensors (not shown), which can be configured to gather data regarding a patient (not shown).

Patient monitor140 can be configured to be mounted in a substantially fixed position, andsensor module160 can be configured to transition from a first orientation relative to patient monitor140 (FIG. 5A) to a second orientation relative to patient monitor140 (FIG. 5B) without moving patient monitor140 ordocking station132 from the substantially fixed position. As a result,sensor module160 can be conveniently manipulated to allow for cables to be run to oneside510 of patient monitor140 or the other side. In the illustrated embodiment, whensensor module160 is transitioned from the first orientation to the second orientation, ports522 are moved from oneside510 of patient monitor140 to an opposite side ofpatient monitor140. Thus, ports522 are not visible in the view depicted inFIG. 5B.

It will be understood by those having skill in the art that many changes may be made to the details of the above-described embodiments without departing from the underlying principles disclosed herein. The scope of the present invention should, therefore, be determined only by the following claims.

Claims (29)

1. A system for locating a medical device comprising:

a device identification subsystem configured to receive a unique identifier associated with a medical device via one of a plurality of network connection points on a network;

a plurality of docking stations, each of the plurality of docking stations associated with one of the plurality of network connection points, wherein the medical device is configured to be selectively coupled with and selectively decoupled from the plurality of docking stations;

a device tracking subsystem configured to associate the unique identifier with the medical device and to track a last known location of the medical device; and

a location subsystem configured to store a location of each of the plurality of network connection points;

wherein the device tracking subsystem identifies the medical device based on the unique device identifier and updates the last known location of the medical device based on the location stored in the location subsystem of the one of the plurality of network connection points used to transmit the unique device identifier and wherein the location subsystem is configured to associate the location of the medical device with the location of the docking station in which the medical device is docked.

2. The system ofclaim 1, further comprising:

a notification subsystem configured to generate a notification when a specified condition is satisfied.

3. The system ofclaim 1, further comprising:

a calibration subsystem configured to associate the medical device with calibration information and to evaluate a condition using the calibration information to determine that the medical device requires calibration.

4. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the device tracking subsystem is further configured to store at least one attribute of the medical device, the at least one attribute selected from the group consisting of calibration information, owner information, expiration information, diagnostic information, and date last used.

5. The system ofclaim 1, further comprising:

a device querying subsystem configured to query the medical device via the network and to determine that the medical device satisfies a specified criteria.

6. A system for locating a device on a network, the system comprising:

a network having a plurality of network connection points;

a medical device comprising:

a unique device identifier; and

a network interface to transmit the unique device identifier via one of the plurality of network connection points;

a server comprising:

a server network adapter configured to connect to the network;

a location subsystem configured to store a location of each of the plurality of network connection points;

a device tracking subsystem configured to store a last known device location based on the unique device identifier; and

a calibration subsystem configured to associate the medical device with calibration information and to evaluate a condition using the calibration information to determine that the medical device requires calibration;

wherein the device tracking subsystem identifies the medical device based on the unique device identifier and updates the last known device location based on the location of the one of the plurality of network connection points used to transmit the unique device identifier.

7. The system ofclaim 6, further comprising:

a sensor module comprising a unique sensor module identifier;

wherein the medical device comprises a patient monitor, the patient monitor comprising a sensor module interface configured to connect to the sensor module and to transmit the unique sensor module identifier via the sensor module interface; and

wherein the device tracking subsystem is further configured to store a last known sensor module location and to update the last known sensor module location based on the location of the one of the plurality of network connection points used to transmit the unique sensor module identifier.

8. The system ofclaim 7, further comprising:

a sensor comprising a unique sensor identifier, the sensor configured to connect to the sensor module and configured to transmit the unique sensor identifier the sensor module; and

wherein the device tracking subsystem is further configured to store a last known sensor location and to update the last known sensor location based on the location of the one of the plurality of network connection points used to transmit the unique sensor identifier.

9. The system ofclaim 6, wherein the medical device comprises a sensor module.

10. The system ofclaim 6, wherein the device tracking subsystem is further configured to store at least one attribute of the medical device, the at least one attribute selected from the group consisting of calibration information, owner information, expiration information, diagnostic information, and date last used.

11. The system ofclaim 6, wherein the server further comprises a notification subsystem configured to generate a notification when a specified condition is satisfied.

12. The system ofclaim 11, wherein the notification subsystem is further configured to generate a notification that the medical device requires calibration.

13. The system ofclaim 11, wherein the medical device further comprises a diagnostic unit configured to perform a self-diagnostic test and to communicate a result of the self-diagnostic test to the server; and

wherein the server further comprises:

a diagnostic subsystem configured to evaluate the result of the self-diagnostic test; and

wherein the notification subsystem is further configured to generate a notification based on the result of the self-diagnostic test.

14. The system ofclaim 6, wherein the unique device identifier comprises a media access control (MAC) address associated with the network interface.

15. The system ofclaim 6, further comprising:

a radio frequency identification (RFID) transceiver configured to connect to one of the plurality of network connection points; and

wherein the medical device further comprises an RFID tag configured to transmit the unique device identifier upon interrogation by the RFID transceiver.

16. The system ofclaim 6, further comprising a plurality of docking stations, each of the plurality of docking stations associated with a respective network connection point; and

wherein the medical device comprises a portable patient monitor configured to be selectively coupled with and selectively decoupled from the plurality of docking stations; and

wherein the location subsystem is configured to associate the location of the portable patient monitor with the location of the docking station in which the patient monitor is docked.

17. The system ofclaim 16, wherein each of the plurality of docking stations comprises:

a power interface to provide power to the patient monitor while coupled thereto; and

a network interface to provide communication between the patient monitor and the network server.

18. The system ofclaim 6, wherein the server further comprises a query subsystem configured to query the medical device via the network and to determine that the medical device satisfies a specified criteria.

19. The system ofclaim 6, wherein the medical device further comprises:

a memory configured to store a set of parameters associated with the medical device and to configure the medical device according to the set of parameters.

20. A method for locating a medical device comprising:

receiving a unique identifier associated with a sensor module at a server via one of a plurality of network connection points on a network;

determining at the server a location of the network connection point of the sensor module using a location subsystem configured to store a location of each of the plurality of network connection points;

updating at the server a last known location of the sensor module based on the location of the one of the plurality of network connection points used to transmit the unique identifier;

transmitting a unique sensor identifier of a sensor to the server via the sensor module, the sensor connected to the sensor module; and

updating a last known sensor location based on the location of the one of the plurality of network connection points used to transmit the unique sensor identifier.

21. The method ofclaim 20, further comprising graphically displaying the last known location of one or more of the sensor module and the sensor.

22. The method ofclaim 20, further comprising storing at least one attribute of the sensor module selected from the group consisting of calibration information, owner information, expiration, diagnostic information, and date last used.

23. The method ofclaim 20, further comprising generating a notification when a specified condition is satisfied.

24. The method ofclaim 20, further comprising:

storing calibration information;

associating the calibration information with the sensor module;

evaluating a condition using the calibration information to determine that the sensor module requires calibration; and

generating a notification that the sensor module requires calibration.

25. The method ofclaim 20, further comprising:

performing a self-diagnostic test at the sensor module;

communicating a result of the self-diagnostic test to the sever;

evaluating the result of the self-diagnostic test; and

generating a notification based on the result of the self-diagnostic test.

26. The method ofclaim 20, wherein the unique device identifier comprises a media access control (MAC) address associated with the network interface.

27. The method ofclaim 20, further comprising:

connecting a radio frequency identification (RFID) transceiver to one of the plurality of network connection points; and

applying an RFID tag to the sensor module, the RFID tag configured to transmit the unique device identifier upon interrogation by the RFID transceiver; and

interrogating the RFID tag using the RFID transceiver.

28. The method ofclaim 20, further comprising:

receiving a query comprising a specified criteria;

querying the sensor module;

determining that the sensor module satisfies the specified criteria.

29. A computer-readable medium comprising program instructions executable on a computer to cause the computer to perform a method for locating a device on a network, the computer-readable medium comprising:

program instructions for receiving a unique identifier associated with a medical device via one of a plurality of network connection points on a network; and

determining a location of the network connection point of the medical device using a location subsystem configured to store a location of each of the plurality of network connection points; and

updating a last known location of the medical device in a device tracking subsystem based on the location of the one of the plurality of network connection points used to transmit the unique identifier; and

graphically displaying the last known location of the medical device.

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